What Email Marketers Can Learn From Radio (Yes, Radio!)

Posted by Kevin KelleherJuly 10, 2015

To be alive during the late 19th century would have been positively electric. Maxwell was codifying theories, Edison and Tesla were duking it out over currents, and Faraday had a shocking obsession with cages. All the while, a German man by the name Heinrich Rudolf Hertz was laying the groundwork for what would become wireless transmission by radio. That name should ring a bell. The term “hertz” is used today when discussing cycles per second, or frequency, as a scientific unit.

Hertz’s eponymous standard notwithstanding, early radio transmissions were broadcast using amplitude modulation (the “AM” in AM radio). From Herbert Morrison’s, “Oh, the humanity!” to Orson Welles’ infamous “War of the Worlds,” these are the nostalgia-inducing broadcasts we still hear from time to time. As radio technology continued to develop, frequency modulation (the “FM” in FM radio) overtook amplitude modulation as the modus operandi for commercial broadcasts and remains one of the most prevalent means of delivering top 40 hits to people all over the world.

About Kevin Kelleher

Kevin Kelleher manages Analyst Relations at Return Path. He keeps technology experts informed about all the exciting things Return Path is bringing to market. In his spare time, Kevin enjoys running and fencing. Connect with him at kevin.kelleher@returnpath.com